Oracular
by midnight.anamnesis
Summary: When you had that nightmare, you never once thought that it would come true. But here you are now, orphaned and stuck at sea with your step-brother as two blond kids help you up onto their magical golden steamship. It's scary how precognitive your dreams are starting to become. (alternating!pov, demigod!au)
1. Prologue

Your name was Jane Crocker and you loved this boat. You and Jake, as well as your grandson, John, and Jake's granddaughter, Jade, proudly called this modest yacht your home.

Usually, the boat was hitched to your dock in the warm bays of Florida, but sometimes, you liked to go on trips.

This summer was hotter than most, and as you and Jake sat and watched Jade and John splash around in the clear waters of the bay, you told him that you want to sail out into the Atlantic. He was surprised by your demand at first, but didn't hesitate to agree. Jade and John seemed thrilled for their first major boat trip in years, as well.

So as you and Jake packed enough food and water and clothes to last for at least a month, John and Jade were sleeping, readying themselves for a great boating adventure. You left Jake to finish up the last of the packing and walked into John's room to check on him.

John had a content smile on his face as he slept, obviousy having good dreams. His magic chest was open and his props and prank books were scattered across the room. You smiled fondly at the movie posters plastered on his wall as you quietly picked up John's things and deposited them inside his chest. With a whisper of, "Good night," you flicked off the light and gently closed his door.

The door to Jade's room was half open, light flooding out from the opening. You peered in to see a head of dark chocolate-brown hair tossing fitfully in her sleep. Pencils and pens and many other drawing tools were strewn haphazardly on her bed. Several Squiddles and electronic parts were lying on the floor, and among them were a handful of drawings. You'd never seen Jade express much interest in drawing before. In fact, you had never seen her sitting at her desk to draw at all. Curious, you picked them up. They were all rather crumpled, as if she had left them on her bed and accidentally sat on them.

The first paper was a sketchy pen drawing. You couldn't make out many details, but it almost looked like a tiny boat in the middle of a giant storm at sea. The second one was in colored pencils. There was a boat in the center, capsized and breaking apart from the sheer force of violent waves crashing around it. It almost looked like your boat. Lightning flashed in the drawing's background and two little figures were threatened to be swallowed whole by the waves. Looking at the drawings left a bad feeling in the bottom of your stomach.

You heard Jade whimper and stir in her bed, and you instantly placed the stack of drawings on her desk. You sat down next to her and soothingly stroked her hair, shushing her and telling her to stop tossing. Her troubled breathing began to even out and you smiled softly to yourself. Jade turned again, and her arm escaped from beneath her blanket, a crumpled sheet of paper falling from her hand.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, you picked up the paper and carefully straightened it out. On it, in great detail and color, were two people you had never seen before. A girl with short blonde hair and magenta eyes smiled with black-lipstick covered lips. She looked to be around Jade's age and was holding the weirdest looking pair of black and pink daggers. Beside her, a tan blond boy stood holding a sword. His eyes were hidden beneath dark sunglasses. They looked like siblings and wore the same clothes— orange t-shirts, jeans, and a leather necklace strung with wooden beads.

You left the drawing on Jade's desk and spared one last look at her. She was sleeping peacefully. You quietly left the room and turned off the light, a relaxed smile gracing your face. You arrived as Jake finished the last of the packing and told him that John and Jade were sleeping soundly. He smiled back at you and told you that he would start sailing first thing in the morning. You bade him goodnight and went to your room. That night, you dreamt of clear skies and perfect oceans as you, Jake, John, and Jade sailed along the golden horizon.

* * *

Your name was Jake English and something about the eerily calm waters around you seemed ominous. It was cloudy and the waters were a dull grey-green. Darker clouds were rolling in from far away. John and Jade sat against the railing, feet dangling over the edge of the boat as they watched the fish swim by beneath them.

You didn't hear Jane walk up behind you until she spoke.

"Something wrong?" she asked as she rested a light hand on your shoulder. You frowned.

"I don't like the look of this weather," you replied. "Tell John and Jade to go inside. I think we're in for a storm." A look of worry clouded Jane's face, but you did your best to reassure her, telling her to stay below deck as well. She led John and Jade down, and you left for the cockpit. Minutes later, you heard footsteps and turned around to see Jane standing behind you, an encouraging smile on her face.

"I'm not going to leave you alone to steer us through a storm," she told you matter-of-factly, arms crossed and no room left for argument. You wouldn't have made any move to argue anyway, and allowed her to stand beside you as you piloted the yacht.

The rain began to patter on the narrow tin roof within minutes, and the boat slowly became harder and harder to keep afloat. Thunder and lightning crashed and you heard little screams and rushed footsteps. Jane's voice screamed at the kids to go back below deck, but you couldn't risk turning around.

You were surprised by the ferocity of this violent storm as it rattled the tin roof above you, but you refused to let it get the best of you. Jane was standing beside you the whole time, even when the violent winds ripped the old tin roof right off the deck. The ground grew wet and slippery beneath your feet and Jane was reduced to grabbing onto the wheel as to not be thrown off the side of the boat. Despite the craziness around you, she tried her best to help you steer as well.

Water was flooding onto the boat and trickling below decks. You didn't want Jade and John to come up and see such a chaotic scene, but you knew that they would eventually.

"Jake!" Jane screamed in your ear, and you whirled your head around barely in time to see a giant wave flying at you. There was no time for a reaction as the icy cold water threw you and Jane off the side of the boat, crushing the air in your lungs and wrenching you under the water and farther away from the boat— and more importantly, John and Jade.


	2. i

Your name is John Egbert. But that was three years ago. Granted, your name is still John Egbert, but the point is that we are three years into the past. And you are hanging onto the railing of your grandparents' yacht for dear life.

Tears are streaming vehemently down your face and you can feel your step-sister's arms clinging onto your waist, the only comforting thing left in this tumultuous storm.

You scream desperately for your grandparents into the stormy sea, even though they've probably drowned by now. Jade yelps and digs her face into your back as the boat threatens to capsize yet again. You choke back your tears and sobs— if only for her.

"Jade, don't let go!" you yell, scaling along the railings as if they were a ladder. You head to the control panel of the boat, and as you approach it, you release one arm to hold onto Jade, and then you jump for the cockpit. The wheel is turning rapidly, and with Jade still holding onto you, you attempt to stop it, arms shaking as you try to oppose the sheer strength of the wheel's rotation. The rain is still battering on your heads, the tin roof of the cockpit long gone.

Jamming the boat's lever up to full speed, you push onward, trying your best to keep the boat from capsizing. Jade's hands reach from behind you, and she, the better pilot, helps you to blindy navigate through the tall waves. You can still hear her sniffling.

"It's okay, Jade. We'll be okay," you whisper placatingly. "I promise."

You feel her nod against your back, and a flash of lightning illuminates the violent waters. Your foot reaches out to drag a bundle of rope across the floor toward you. As Jade holds onto the wheel, you fasten the rope around the both of you and knot the other end to the base of the tiller.

You two don't exchange a word, but each other's presence serves as comfort enough. The thunder and pounding rain and waves are deafening, and the lightning manages to scare a jump out of you and Jade each time. A particularly bright flash of lightning lights up the whole sky, and the waves look like faceless monsters. The last thing you see is a huge wall of dark green-grey coming in from your right, and you and Jade are suddenly thrown to the left, rope squeezing the air from your lungs and your head colliding with the hard floor as unconsciousness takes you over.

* * *

Your name is Dave Strider and you're on a boat. You could probably throw down a whole damn rap about it, but you refrain. Mostly because your sister would smack you over the head if you so much as rapped another syllable, and you're nothing if not a considerate, gentlemanly cool guy. Plus last time she smacked you, your sunglasses went skidding across the deck.

You two are standing at the prow of your totally rad steamship, discussing your quest. Your dad had mentioned something important located somewhere around the Sea of Monsters, but he didn't give an exact location or specify what the important thing was. Asking for the added input of a dead Oracle wasn't really an option, either. You're pretty damn sure it's some sick treasure, though, guarded by a mysterious beast. Rose, on the other hand, thinks it could be a precious spell book or a map or something like that. It's obvious who is the more sensible sibling here.

You've set the ship to autopilot itself across the waters, and you're getting pretty fucking tired of all this water. There's no one else on the boat save for you two— unless you count the magical, floating balls of light that help run the ship, which you don't. You've been sailing around for five days and all the water started to look the same three days ago.

Rose is almost starting to agree with you in wanting to return to Camp. As much as she strongly objected the idea of returning empty handed, all this water was beginning to become monotonous. You swear you hear her mutter something about being done with your stupid raps, too, but you shake it off. Your raps are so fucking tight, even the most hardcore of rock stars couldn't handle them in denim form.

Rose is still staring out to the endless blue ocean, and you turn around, leaning back against the ship's railing. A twinkle of black sparkles and shadows starts to materialize near the railings and you frown, lifting your sunglasses up from over your eyes. The sunlight is near blinding, but you can swear you see a form beginning to appear. You unsheathe your trusty sword, and Rose turns to look at you quizzically. When she sees you gesture to the odd cloud of sparkles and shadow, her eyes widen and she retrieves her dual daggers.

Suddenly, a boy in shorts, a white t-shirt, and rectangular rimmed glasses appears from the cloud, looking drenched to the bone and more confused than you and Rose combined. His startlingly blue eyes dart around the boat in confusion and he almost resembles a deer in headlights.

"Who are you?" Rose asks loudly, garnering his attention.

"And how the fuck did you get here?" you add because that really is the more obvious question. The boy's eyes land on you and your weapons and they widen instantly, causing him to look like a poster child for panic and terror.

"I— Uh. We— I, I..." He stutters unconprehensibly and you can see him shaking as he eyes your sword and Rose's daggers nervously. "Please don't hurt me," he squeaks at last. You see Rose carefully consider the situation before careflully putting her daggers away. She looks at you expectantly and you groan, rolling your eyes. But you put your sword away anyway.

"What's your name?" Rose asks the boy again.

"My name's John," he says, almost hesitantly. "I don't know how I got here, but, uh, I need your help. _Now_."Scratch that, hesitation gone.

He begins to explain how he and his grandparents and step sister were sailing when they were suddenly attacked by a storm, both grandparents drowning sometime earlier. Somehow, he and his sister, Jade, survived and their boat was ruined and capsized just a bit east of their current location. When John began to lose your's and Rose's attention, he says his body kind of "thought it was a good idea to throw itself off the boat" and then was somehow able to fly over to your ship ("The fuck?" you whisper under your breath, but Rose elects to ignore you.) before he ended up here.

"I don't believe anything this kid is saying," you immediately mutter to Rose. Her face is passive, but you can tell that she is thinking— running John's story through her head, trying to determine its truthfulness. "It could be a trap, Rose," you add.

After a few minutes of painstaking silence, she finally speaks. "Alright, show us where your boat is, John," she says.

"Wait, no, what the fuck are you doing?" you hiss. "Rose, what?"

She shoots you a pointed glare, and mutters, "Something tells me that this seemingly unhelpful happenstance is what dad was alluding to. This boy is special— I can _feel_ it. I think we're meant to help him, Dave."

Your eyes flick up to look at the boy. He's standing there awkwardly, watching you and Rose whisper about him as his feet tap restlessly against the ship's deck.

You sigh. "What's your name again?" you ask him.

"John Egbert," he replies, sounding somewhat confused as to why you had asked. You cross your arms, mulling over all the facts in your head. Rose got her dramatic pause, and this time it was yours. Yup. Any minute now...

"Dave Strider," you tell him. "This is my sis from another miss, Rose Lalonde." You know Rose hates it when you call her that, but you do it anyway. "You can show us where your boat is now, Johnny boy."

You see him open his mouth— probably to argue with the hilarious nickname you just totally made happen, but he deflates, settling for a childish pout because you're helping him and he needs to suck it up. Smart boy. As he's gesturing to some point over to the east, you go down to take the wheel.

Rose is helping a cute girl with chocolate brown hair and bleary jade eyes up onto the deck when you come back up, and John is rushing forward to hug the girl. The two are practically crying tears of joy, and you and Rose stand stiffly to the side, watching them.

"Man, I don't think we were ever like that, were we?" you whisper to Rose. All you get is a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"I explicitly recall us agreeing not to call me your 'sis from another miss'," she whispers back.

You rub the still-throbbing point of impact with your hand. "Yeah, we're definitely not like that," you mutter to yourself.


	3. ii

Your name is Jade Harley, and you're both happy and sad as a blonde girl with pretty magenta eyes wakes you up and helps you onto a giant, golden ship. Happy because, well— you're alive! The sadness of your grandparents death still stings, though, bitter but strangely unsurprising. You clamber up to see John standing next to a blond boy in sunglasses, and you immediately rush over to hug your brother. He's impossibly warm and it's both relaxing and comforting when he doesn't hesitate to hug you back.

"John, oh my _gosh_, I thought we were goners," you whisper breathily, rapidly blinking back tears of joy and relief. His clothes are still damp as yours, but you honestly can't bring yourself to mind.

He pats you soothingly on the back and you hear him reply, "Me too."

You pull back and your eyes flicker to the boy and girl standing awkwardly behind John. The girl is smiling and the boy has a frown on his face as he rubs his side sorely. Something inside you says that you know them, but you've never really known anyone your own age besides John.

"Uh, who are they?" you ask quietly.

John turns around, grabbing you by the hand and dragging you over to the two eerily familiar kids.

"Jade, this is Dave," he points to the boy, who nods, "and this is Rose, his 'sis from another miss'," your brother says, snickering as he puts air quotes around the last part of his sentence. You see Rose's smile fall into a frown as Dave's lips consequentially twitch up into a small smirk.

"You must be Jade," Rose says, stepping up and offering a hand for you to shake. You politely accept it. "As your brother said earlier, my name is Rose Lalonde, and this is my— er, _step-brother_, Dave Strider."

"There's no need for the 'step' part, sis," Dave interjects. You can hear a faint southern drawl in his words. He turns to you and John. "Don't let anything she says fool you; Rose and I are tighter than our dad's preppy shirt when it's fucking summer."

You hear John stifle a laugh from your left and Rose pinches the bridge of her nose, muttering, "_Please_ do not say that about our father," as she shakes her head. You feel a small smile creep onto your face despite yourself.

"So, you two are step-siblings?" you ask. "John and I are, too."

Rose takes a deep breath, seemingly calmed and willing to put Dave's inane commentary behind her. "Well, we aren't exactly _step-siblings_, per se," she interjects. "It's actually quite complicated. We should start heading back home now, though, so I suppose we can use this time for story telling and explanations." Dave takes that as his cue to go down to the pilot's room and promptly departs.

"Wait, where are we going?" John asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Jade and I... we don't have a home."

"Yeah, that boat was our house," you add smally, sighing as you tuck a stray curl of hair behind your ear. "I'm gonna miss it..."

Rose tries to offer you a consoling smile. "You two can come with Dave and me. There is always room for more kids like us at Camp."

"Camp?" you and John ask simultaneously. Rose nods, and then turns around, snapping her fingers once and asking for a table. Your mouth drops open as you see six floating spheres of light come in, handlessly bringing a table and four chairs with them. They set up the furniture quickly and efficiently before zipping away.

"What were those?" you ask as you sit down, eyes still widened in amazement. "They almost looked like tiny fairies!"

"Jade, those helpers looked pretty human to me," John tells you, confusion evident in his voice. You see concern flash in his blue eyes as he asks if you're feeling okay.

Rose raises an eyebrow quizzically, more curiosity than confusion playing across her face. "You can see them, Jade?"

"See _what_?" John exclaims, gesturing wildly; you and Rose simultaneously shush him. You nod slowly in response to the blonde girl's question.

"Interesting..."

"_What's_ so interesting?" you hear your brother whine loudly, annoyed from being left out of the conversation. You haven't been on this ship for long, but you notice that your brother seems to have dried off completely already. You absently wish you were dry, too, but with a jolt, you realize that you _are_. Huh. You could've sworn that wasn't the case just a second ago.

Dave walks up onto the deck just in time to see John acting melodramatic.

"Whoa! John, what's going on? Man, I could hear you having a cow from below deck," he says, pulling up a chair beside his sister. "They may say the miracle of birth is beautiful but that shit was migraine worthy; damn." Rose doesn't remark on his interesting commentary, but mutters something to her brother, and her eyes flicker to you and back. You can't see Dave's eyes under his sunglasses, but you have the feeling he's looking at you, and you press your lips tightly together, looking anywhere but the dark shades.

John nudges you lightly, quietly asking you what Rose was talking about. "You really couldn't see it?" you ask him quizzically. "The things carrying the chairs and the table— they were like glowy, floating spheres!"

"No, I couldn't see them," John replies with a frown, running a hand through his hair. "They just looked like normal people to me. Their suits were really yellow and bright, though. And ugly. If that relates."

"Huh. Well, I don't know what it means. Maybe Rose and Dave know?"

"Yeah, maybe..."

You see that the other two have stopped discussing. "We're going to take you two with us to a place called Camp Half-Blood." Dave announces.

"It's a special camp," Rose adds, "for demigods."

"Demigods?" you echo unbelievingly. "Like, the people from greek myths who had gods for parents?"

"Just one god for a parent," Dave corrects you, "and the other parent was certified homo sapien."

"Yeah, but greek gods aren't real," your brother says slowly. You hear a small crack of thunder coming from far away, setting your heart aflutter in terror again. The sky is still clear around you. Dave facepalms, muttering, "_Not a-fucking-gain_." and Rose rolls her eyes at him, seemingly used to the blond boy's reaction.

"Greek gods are _very_ real," Rose says seriously. "Since Ancient Greek times, they have followed the progression of western civilization, tightly woven into its existence and growth, always there. _Immortal_ means_ immortal_, after all. The gods were present in Rome when Rome was at large and even England, as well. Nowadays, the Greek gods reside in our society and culture, where the western civilization is strongest. Why do you think the eagle, mascot of Zeus, is our country's animal? Or why so many government buildings have Greek architectural designs? Greek influences are everywhere and the Greek gods— _real_."

You open your mouth to say something— anything— but your mind is still reeling, and no sound comes out. The way Rose spoke, something told you she wasn't playing around. You close your mouth again and swallow. _Greek gods... are real?_ You turn to look at John; his mouth is half agape as he tries to process everything that the blonde had just said.

"And John," Rose adds with a wry smile, "they do not take well to being called fake."

He snaps his mouth closed and nods numbly; you turn to look back at her and Dave, who seems to have gotten over his previous frustration at John and is leaning languidly back in his chair.

"Where— How do _we_ fit into this, though? John and me? We... We _can't_ be demigods."

Dave takes his feet off the table and leans toward you. "You were asleep when we came to get you, right Jade?" You nod. "Did John ever tell you how he got here, onto this ship almost five miles away, from your little boat? I'm pretty damn sure he didn't swim, you know."

"He's right," John says. "I forgot about all of that in the rush of things, but looking back on it... yeah! I think I _flew_."

"You what?" you ask incredulously, eyes wide.

"Exactly!" Dave shouts, throwing his hands up into the air. "No one else had questioned how the fuck this guy was able to fly! _Thank you_, Jade!"

John smiles sheepishly. "I honestly thought it was a dream," he admits. "It sure feels like one."

With a jolt, Rose stands up, chair grating horribly across the floor. "Wait, what did you say?" she asks John slowly, a confused frown pulling on her lips. Her voice was soft, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to ask the question aloud. John curiously meets her steady gaze.

"I said it feels like a dream," he mutters under his breath. You can barely make out the words, and apparently neither can Rose. John's eyes drop down to his lap and you can tell that he's thinking— you just don't know what about. Then he stands up and repeats himself, louder. "It feels like a _dream_."

"Yes," Rose agrees immediately, "it does, does it not?" You and Dave both look at her curiously.

"Uh, who the fuck does what now, Rose?"

Rose doesn't reply.

"No, it does, guys," John confirms in a matter-of-fact tone, an expression that you think might be realization lighting up his face and tugging up the corners of his mouth. "This isn't real 'cause it's a dream! We're not really here because we're _dreaming_. Can't you tell?"

Your mind races, remembering the weird instance when you wished yourself dry and the odd warmth you feel emanating from your brother. You aren't sure what compels you, but you're standing up and agreeing with John, too. Dave is staring at you three like you're insane, which maybe you are.

John grabs Dave and pulls him up, chastising him, "Come on, you nonbeliever. It's time to wake up."

John's shutting his eyes, and you feel your mouth drop open as the world around the table swirls into a million different colors and finally to black. You open your eyes and you're lying on a large slab of floating wood, the smell of salt and the sting of cold water invading your senses.


	4. iii

Your name is Rose Lalonde and you're waking up from the most peculiar dream.

You rub the sleep out of your eyes and walk out of your cabin and up to the deck. You can't seem to shake that dream of a black haired boy with stunning blue eyes and a dark-skinned girl with long choclate-brown hair out of your head. Your curiosity gets the best of you as you take a peek through your telescope to a point far away to the east, just like in your dream. As a child of Apollo, you never have the need for a compass because as long as the sun is out, you know just enough.

There is just water, as you expected, as you peer through the telescope. You quickly scan the waters and your eye catches on something white and you shift the telescope back. A slab of white— maybe part of a ruined boat?— catches your eye. The scene comes into focus and you nearly drop the telescope in surprise. A young boy and girl are unconscious atop the floating debris, and you're instantly sprinting back down the stairs to wake your brother.

"Dave Strider, wake up!"

You shake him violently and he springs up in a similar fashion, dirty blond hair askew and red eyes squinting from the sudden barrage of light. He reaches over to grab his sunglasses from the nearby desk and puts them on.

"Wha's goin on?" he slurs blearily, stepping out of his bed and stretching languidly.

"They're real, Dave. John and Jade," you blurt out, and he freezes, dark glasses unable to mask the surprise on his face. "Come, we have to help them." You two jog up to the pilot's room and you don't have to tell your brother anything— he knows exactly where to go.

You lower a ladder down the side of the ship and Dave descends before you, waking up the unconscious boy and girl. You climb down and you two are balancing on the same rung, one foot each on the ladder.

"Yo, sleepyheads," he says, shaking each one of them by the shoulder. John groans, stirring in his sleep. "John, dude. Wake the fuck up," Dave says as he splashes a handful of water in John's face. The black haired boy's eyes dart open and he wipes the cold, salty water off his face.

"What the hell was that for?"

Dave just shrugs. Beside them, Jade stirs and her bright, green-apple green eyes flutter open.

"John? D-Dave? Rose?" She rubs her squinting eyes and opens them up wide, adjusting to the bright sun. "John!" she exclaims happily, pulling her step brother (if you remember correctly) into a tight hug. Then she turns to look at you and your brother. "Rose! Dave! You guys are real!"

"Yeah, we're pretty real," Dave replies unnecessarily. You extend a hand to John, and he gladly grabs it. Pulling him out of the water and onto the ladder takes a fair amount of effort. Dave helps Jade up and soon all four of you are on deck— for real this time. Your brother and Jade are heading below deck to look for towels and dry clothes, and you're sitting at the railing, taking your time to roll up the rope ladder. John is standing behind you; he hadn't moved since you had gotten onto the deck.

"That was a dream," John mutters under his breath. "That was a dream," he repeats in a slightly louder voice.

You exhale a quick, breathy laugh. "Yes, I'm glad you've finally embraced the realization, John."

He sits next to you, leaning into the railing and feet dangling off the side of the ship. "I think I _made_ that dream!" he exclaims. You look at him from the corner of your vision, and you see his expressive blue eyes filled with childish shock and awe. He's grinning and the sight brings an amused smirk to your face.

"You're definitely an interesting one, John Egbert," you tell him. "I wonder who your parent is..."

"My what?"

"Your immortal godly parent," you repeat. "My parent is Apollo, god of healing, archery, music, prophecy, and the sun. As is Dave's. That is how we're related, by the way, since I never did get to elaborate."

"Wow, that's cool. Do you and Dave have any magic powers?"

"It's not exactly magic, but Dave can manipulate sunlight. He also claims that his raps are 'sicker than a rat living in a fucking toxic waste dump', which are his words, by the way, not mine."

John laughs breezily. "I bet his raps could land someone in quarantine," he comments jokingly.

"You could say that," you reply wryly.

"And how 'bout you, Rose?"

"Hm?"

"What powers do you have?"

"Oh, nothing much," you say, absently fiddling with the bundle of ladder in your lap. "Sometimes... I get little visions of the future or the past. Unfortunate things that will happen or how something odd came to be the way it is. It helps Dave and I get out of a multitude of sticky situations, that's for sure."

"Nothing much?" John echoes. "That's really cool!" he practically shouts, tossing his hands into the air. "How many people do you know get magical visions of the future?" The corners of your lips curl up into grin as you reply, "Not many."

"Exactly!"

You laugh at the way he throws his hands about as he speaks. He seems totally nonplussed by your laughter and the wide grin on his face doesn't fade one bit as he readjusts his crooked glasses.

You hear light, girlish laughter coming from behind you and you turn to see Jade, now wearing a fresh change of clothes your brother no doubt stole from your chest, and Dave walking out onto the deck. He's holding a towel and a dry change of clothes for John.

"Yo, Egbert!" your brother calls, "I'm gonna have to ask you to stop mackin' on my sister, dude. Nothing personal, but I just really want an excuse to play bad cop cause no one ever really hits on Rose, you know?"

You roll your eyes and walk to them, thrusting the heavy ladder at your brother and snatching the clothes and the towel. John jogs over to where you're gathered and you hand him the bundle of cloth.

"Don't mind Dave," you tell him, "he's just being unnecessarily obtuse, as per the sad, sad usual." John thanks you for the change of clothes and walks below deck to go change. Dave throws the ladder to the side where it lands with an obnoxious clatter.

"I should probably go show John where the bathrooms are," Jade says. "I'd hate for him to get lost." She chirps a quick goodbye to you and Dave before skipping off to find her brother. Dave's hands are in his pockets as he watches her leave.

"You know," he says, turning to face you, "_Jade_ thinks my raps are pretty awesome. How much longer can you deny this genius, Rose?"

"Genius? What genius?" you ask mock-innocently. "I don't see any genii around here, do you, Strider?"

He shakes his head slowly, clicking his tongue at you. "Oh, Rose. How I pity you for not being able to comprehend the sheer _brilliance_ that is this motherfucking sweet symphony of carefully selected words that coalesce to make this orgasmic nectar of modern music."

"David, do you even understand the meaning of half those words?"

"What the fuck makes you think I don't, Rosie-Posie?"

You sigh. "Call it being psychic, brother."


	5. iv

Your name is Vriska Serket and you honestly don't see what the big deal is. Sure, it's pretty sad when someone dies, even if you don't know them that well. You've already paid your respects and went to the funeral. Now, instead of breaking into tears at the mere mention of the word 'prophecy', you think people should actually start looking for a new Oracle. _Honestly!_ Why can't others have their priorities as straight and organized as you?

You sigh deeply as you sit down at your usual spot at the Hermes table. You aren't a child of Hermes, but you're the only one whose parent is Tyche, the goddess of luck and fortune, so you're forced to make do with sharing a cabin with the Hermes kids. It's not like you mind, though. When they're not moping about red haired Oracles who lived for over a hundred years and finally died peacefully in their sleep, these kids are actually pretty cool.

The nymphs and satyrs bring out the food, and you absentmindedly fill your goblet with the usual blue cola you love so much. You see Aradia walk by with a tray of food, but she purposely skips past your table, shooting you a pointed look. You roll your eyes at her. She still hasn't gotten over that one time you _accidentally_ almost burned her tree down, but it's not like you care. You two were never on good terms anyway.

Tavros rolls over on his wheelchair, setting a platter of food on your table.

"Heeeeeeeey, Tavros," you greet the satyr, flashing him a toothy grin.

"Oh— uh, hi Vriska," he replies smally, not looking you fully in the eye.

You two don't talk much anymore— not since you broke up with him a few months ago. Two people can only skirt around the issue of that little accident you had on a certain quest for so long. Although it's not like it was your fault that the luck you _borrowed_ from him was supposed to keep him from getting pushed off that cliff and losing the use of his legs. You two tried not to speak of that incident to anyone, including each other, and you made sure it's been forgotten for a loooooooong time now.

"So, how's the whole Oracle situation going?" you ask him as you grab some food for your plate.

"It's going okay, I guess. We haven't seen Lord Apollo since the, uh, funeral, so we think he's out looking for a new Oracle."

You nod, getting up to go sacrifice a part of your dinner to your mom. You never forget to thank her for all the luck she's granted you. When you return to your seat, Tavros is still sitting in his wheelchair, fingers twiddling awkwardly in his lap.

"The Elders said they're going to send me on another mission," he finally says.

"Oh, is that so?" you poke at your food, doing a bang up job of sounding interested.

"Yeah, they need a satyr to stay at a boarding school on the west coast. They think a demigod or even two might be attending that school."

"That's great for you, Tavros," you say, taking a sip of your soda. "Finally, you get to actually help with something for a change!"

You think you hear him mutter something under his breath, but upon questioning him, he immediately denies the fact. You shrug and return to your food.

"When are you leaving, Tavros?"

"Tomorrow morning. I don't know how long I'll be gone, though..."

"Ah, well I hope you have fun on your little mission. I'll try not to go on _too _many amazing quests without you," you tell him with your signature toothy smirk. He bids you a quick goodbye and wheels away, leaving you to your own devices. You were only being nice when you said you'd try not to go on too many adventures; obviously nothing can slake your thirst for excitement, adventure, and treasure.

You're finishing up your dinner when Aradia approaches you, a smug and satisfied grin on her face. She looms above you, not saying a thing, until you finally snap at her, "Did you want something, Megido?"

"Chiron wants to talk to you in the Big House," she says simply. "I hope you're not in trouble, Vriska!" she adds, mock-concern ringing in her tone. You shoot her a quick glare as you stand up. Not wasting another breath on the annoying tree nymph, you brush past her and head for the Big House. When you walk through the front door, a feeling of warmth instantly hits you— a stark contrast from the crisp, night air outside. Chiron is standing beside the couch and, sitting in the plush cushions, was a pale boy with purple and platinum hair. You immediately groan.

"What is _this_ pretty boy doing here?" you moan, rolling your eyes exaggeratedly.

"There's no need to be so melodra_ma_tic, Vriska," Eridan snaps back, mocking your tone. You can still hear the faint Romanian accent in his voice when he tries to speak his th's and w's, but it's nowhere near as obnoxious as it was when he first arrived at Camp. Gods, he was so annoying back then.

You were surprised the Ares kids didn't have an even bigger field day than they actually did in making fun of him. You know you had quite the field day, but you also couldn't help but be amused by how unperturbed Eridan seemed by all the insults. The sight of a pale boy with an obnoxious purple steak running through his platinum-blond hair casually flipping off a tan girl with sharp blue makeup and a toothy smirk is nothing out of the ordinary these days.

"Sit down," Chiron says, nodding toward the empty half of the sofa Eridan is currently occupying. Part of you is tempted to refuse, not really wanting to be anywhere near the pretty boy at the moment. You still haven't moved, and when you notice Chiron looking at you curiously, you walk to the couch. You let yourself gracefully fall into the cushions as you slam your legs onto Eridan's lap, smirking when he audibly yelps from the force of your impact.

"Get off of me, Serket," he snarls lowly from between barred teeth.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_, Ampora," you reply sarcastically. "Did that hurt?"

"Ms. Serket," Chiron says warningly, "if you would put your feet on the ground where they are supposed to be, I have important matters to discuss with the two of you."

Sighing heavily, you move your feet to the ground and watch from the corner of your eyes in amusement as Eridan brushes the nonexistent dirt off of his pants.

"So," you start, "what are these _important matters_ you're being so cryptic about, Chiron?"

"I received an urgent Iris Message from Dave and Rose a few minutes before I called you two here."

"The two Apollo kids?" Eridan asks, to which Chiron nods.

"They left for the Sea of Monsters a little less than a week ago, and it seems they have found what they were looking for."

"Was it treasure?" you ask immediately, curiosity forcing you to unintentionally cut the centaur off.

"Rose did not have time to mention what they had found, but they are in need of help. A recent storm left them shipwrecked on one of the small islands surrounding the Sea and we need you and Mr. Ampora to go rescue them."

"So _that's_ why I'm here," you exclaim, "for my amaaaaaaaazing sailing skills! Doesn't explain why we need pretty boy, though," you add, pointing a thumb at Eridan.

"Please! I _lived_ on a boat all my life," Eridan brags. "If anyone is the better captain, it's me."

Chiron intervenes before your bickering can get any farther. "As two of the most experiencd sailors at Camp, I'm putting you both on this as a quest. You are to rescue your fellow campers, as well as whatever treasure they may have found on their quest. Make preparations to leave in the morning, and I will have a boat ready for the two of you."

"Is anyone else coming along?" Eridan asks suddenly. "Any other demigods? Or... er, _nymphs?_" You groan, pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration. You, of course, know where the son of Aphrodite is going with this conversation.

"Feferi isn't going to come, and she isn't eeeeeeeever going to like you either, okay?" you snap matter-of-factly, not caring if you were being rude. His love-struck whining about the freshwater nymph was one of the few things that could always put an immediate damper on any good mood you had. Eridan ignores you, used to your scathing remarks about his hopelessly unrequited crush, and looks at Chiron, waiting for an answer.

"I am afraid that Miss Peixes is visiting family in the Mediterranean and cannot come along," Chiron tells the boy. He nods, expression remaining neutral, but you can tell he's disappointed and you do your best not to sigh or roll your eyes. "No one else is assigned to accompany you two. Is that all?"

You stand up. "Of course," you reply with a nod. Eridan doesn't say anything, but nods silently in agreement. With a quick farewell to the both of you, Chiron exits, no doubt to see about that boat. You elect not to say goodbye to the pretty boy as you saunter out of the Big House, and he doesn't make a move to say farewell, either.

That night as you're packing some clothes, your magic lucky dice, and your trusty, double-edged sword, you can't help but feel pumped for this sea-bound adventure— excluding snarky, love-sick pretty boys, of course.


	6. v

Your name is Eridan Ampora, and you are impossibly glad to be off that gods-damned ship with the irritating, possibly passive-aggressive bitch known as Vriska fuckin' Serket.

It took two whole days to finally find the island Dave and Rose were shipwrecked at, which meant two days of back and forth bickering and multiple jabs from your partner about a certain nymph. It's a well-known Camp fact that you had (have?) a not-so-little crush on Feferi Peixes, a freshwater nymph with royal, oceanic blood. It was also well known that she immediately rejected your feelings, but that didn't stop you from trying to win her affections for the next year.

It was also in this year that you became aware that you couldn't breathe underwater (fucking shame that is) and you were too good at looking like you cared about other's relationship problems when you actually didn't. It sucked.

Feferi usually doesn't acknowledge your advances anymore, and when she does, it's to heatedly point out in her (cute) high-pitched voice that you flirt with _everyone_ and should just leave her be. She _might_ be correct, but you're too stubborn admit to any such thing.

Now back in the present, you and Vriska are rowing ashore on a canoe. When you see the remnants of an obnoxious gold steamship glinting on shore, you know you have the right island. You use a rope to tie the canoe to a palm tree as Vriska treks farther into the island.

The black haired girl finds a makeshift shelter standing near the entrance to a jungle, a small collection of rations and an empty fire pit making up most of it. She is squatting over the unlit fire pit, examining the ashes, when you catch up with her.

"They haven't been in here for at least a day," she announces, "and definitely not last night."

Clearing your head of any dirty thoughts that may or may not have existed, you follow her out of the shelter. "You don't think they fucking left without tellin' us, do you?"

Se scoffs. "They better not have. But there's monsters on this island, no doubt, so maybe they were captured."

"Or killed," you mutter underneath your breath. She unsheathes her sword from the scabbard on her back, and you decide to mirror her, taking out your collapsible crossbow from its holster on your thigh. You don't carry arrows with you, seeing as the magical weapon always has an arrow ready when you need to reload it.

"We're searching the jungle for them," Vriska says, taking the lead as the two of you walk into the foliage. You put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, telling her you'd rather take the lead.

"Aw, that's soooooooo sweet of you, Eridan," Vriska drawls, a smirk twitching at the corner of her distractingly blue lips. You scowl, glaring daggers at her.

"I'd just rather not have your slow ass takin' forever and a fuckin' day to walk through this jungle," you grit out from clenched teeth, making it a point to shove her as you shoulder past. She's snickering from behind you, and you're glad she can't see your face because you're sure your eye is twitching.

You hold your loaded crossbow warily in front of you as you push through your leafy surroundings, pointing it at any sudden sounds that reach your ears. You and Vriska have been walking for half an hour when you hear a crack of a twig and suddenly, blinding sunlight is pouring through the leaves above you and you can't see. You hear Vriska exclaim as she is thrown to the ground and suddenly a foot connects with your stomach and you're on the ground, crossbow thrown from your grip, a dagger at your throat, and a knee pinning you down.

The sunlight clears away as if someone actually _turned down_ the brightness of the damned star, and you see surprised green-apple green eyes staring down at you. From the corner of your vision, you see a blond boy with shades and a dirty orange t-shirt holding the tip of his sword to a very furious Vriska's throat.

"_STRIDER YOU MOTHERFUCKER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_"

You hear Vriska screeching and the dark skinned girl with chocolate brown hair above you winces at the ear-piercing sound that you're way too used to. Dave Strider steps back and removes his sword from Vriska's throat and his female accomplice, switching her dagger to her other hand, stands up and offers her free hand to you. You stand up without her help and pretend not to notice the small frown tugging at her lips.

"I did _not _know it was you two," Dave admits, albeit unapologetically, as he slides his sword back into its sheath.

"No fucking shit," you mutter under your breath, brushing the dirt off your jeans and retrieving your fallen crossbow. Your eyes land on Dave and the girl and you frown. "You're not that Rose girl," you state aloud.

"No shit she's not," Vriska snaps at you, still sitting on the ground as she brushes herself off. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jade," the girl replies, "Jade Harley. Dave and Rose rescued my brother and me after a storm ruined our boat."

"Yeah, Jade and her bro, John, were coming back with us to Camp when another storm ruined _our_ ship and left us fucking stranded here," Dave adds.

"So these two kids are the treasure you found in the Sea of Monsters?" Vriska asks as she finally gets up. She nonchalantly flicks a speck of dirt off her shiny sword and expertly resheathes it.

"Yup," Dave confirms, nodding. "Rose thinks Jade here might have the Sight, as well."

"Wait," Jade interrupts, "The Sight? Rose didn't say anything to me about that!"

"Oh."

"Well, what's the Sight?" Jade demands.

"It means you can see past the Mist," you snap. "Now where the hell are those other two missing people?" you ask, itching to get a move on.

"But what's the Mist?"

Vriska sighs, shooting Dave an annoyed look. "Did you and your sister explain _anything_ to your new pals? Listen here, Jade, " Vriska says, "I know these things. See, the Mist is this magical force that keeps mortals— non-demigods— and sometimes even demigods from seeing monsters and magical things. Wouldn't want the mortals getting too curious, now would we? The Mist lets them perceive things as normally and non-magically as their brains like."

Jade nods slowly, still looking like she was processing what Vriska had just said. You groan, deciding to take matters into your own hands. "Yes, yes— the Mist prevents humans from seeing all that magic bull and shit," you summarize flippantly. "Now, can we get a move on to find Lalonde and the other one?"

"John," Jade says suddenly.

"What?"

"My brother. His name is John."

You sigh. "Fine. Can we get a move on to find Rose and _John_?" you repeat with exaggerated slowness. Dave nods and starts walking, taking the lead. Before you can interject and say that you are the leader, Jade follows beside him. You glare at their backs for a while and hear an annoyed sigh coming from behind you as your free hand is suddenly grabbed and you're dragged forward to follow the two.

The daughter of Tyche is pulling you along until the both of you catch up with Dave and Jade, who have stopped right at the edge of a clearing. You look at Vriska curiously, then your eyes flicker to your conjoined hands and back to meet her gaze. She lets go of your hand as if she was shocked and immediately sticks her tongue out at you. You automatically respond with your usual sneer and it was as if the previous moment had never happened. She averts her gaze from yours and unsheathes her sword, wrapping both her hands tighty around the handle. You switch your crossbow to your newly freed hand.

Dave turns around to face you two. "Rose and John are in the cave behind that waterfall," he whispers. "But there's a cyclops in there, too. Jade and I barely escaped when we tried to fight him earlier, but with the four of us, we should be fine. So here's what I was thinking. Jade and I—"

"Will be the distraction," you finish, much to the blond's chagrin. You continue talking before he can take back the reins, though. "You and your girlfriend can lead the cyclops out of his cave and Serket and I will find John and Lalonde. We're armed better than you and can get out quicker."

Dave is frowning. "But—"

"I think it's a good idea," Jade says. "I honestly don't want to have to fight that cyclops again, and we can lose him once we get into the jungle."

"And how do you know the cyclops will even _follow_ Strider and Jade out to begin with?" Vriska interjects. "It's a really big if."

Dave's lip curls up into a devious smirk. "Oh, I can make sure he follows us," he says. Jade looks at him curiously, but he doesn't explain any further.

"Whatever," you say, waving his cryptic remark off. "Just distract the stupid monster so Serket and I can get inside and rescue your pathetic friends. Go!"

"They're not pathetic," Jade snaps at you before she and Dave exit into the clearing. They quietly tiptoe behind the waterfall and you and Vriska are left to wait in silence. Within minutes, you hear shouts echoing from behind the waterfall, and soon Jade and Dave are barreling out of the cave, the latter holding an armful of what looked suspiciously like rubber ducks. The cyclops comes clambering after them moments later, shrieking bloody murder.

You and Vriska are dashing to the waterfall and slipping into the cave as soon as the monster has disappeared into the foliage. Rose and a black-haired boy that must have been John are lying on the bottom of a giant wooden cage, tied by the hand and feet. Rose notices your presence immediately.

"Dave? Jade?" she calls out into the dark cave, voice echoing faintly off the walls. You and Vriska jog up the the cage.

"Not quite," Vriska replies, bright white teeth contrasting against the dark cave as she flashes her signature smirk. She wastes no time in slashing the wooden cage open and setting to work on John's bindings. You use the tip of an arrow to cut Rose free.

The blonde girl clambers up, rubbing her wrists sorely. From the way she stands, you can tell there is something wrong with her left ankle. "Thank you," she says curtly.

"Let's save the teary apologies for another time," you reply. "We have to go before Jade and Strider ar—"

You're cut off as you hear pounding footsteps closing in on you. You, Vriska, John, and Rose duck around a corner just as the cyclops walks back in. You peer over to see him holding Jade and Dave upside down by the feet, a gleeful smile on his face and a collection of yellow rubber ducks cradled in his other arm.

You swear violently under your breath and you survey your accomplices. Vriska still has her sword in her hands, while Rose is injured and missing half of her dual dagger set. John is weaponless, and you have a feeling the kid isn't trained for battle, anyway. You can hear the cyclops murmuring to himself about how to kill his two captives around the corner.

"Vris," you whisper, unintentionally using your old pet name for her. She still turns to meet your gaze. "I'll distract the fucker and you attack him from behind, okay?" She nods. You take one step forward, but are stopped when you feel a hand on your shoulder and you look behind you.

"Glad you realized your place as the distraction this time," she says teasingly, a small smirk gracing her face. You feel the corners of your mouth twitch up despite yourself, and you're a little less nervous as you step into the cyclop's plain sight.

"Oy, asshole!" you yell, loading your crossbow. "You need to put those two down!" The monster's one giant eye turns to face you and you pull the trigger. An arrow goes flying at him, narrowly missing his huge hand and causing him to drop Jade and Dave in surprise. The two hurtle to the ground and land with a crash. Dave swears loudly, but the cyclops is too furious at you to be bothered with his hostages. You run away from the corner where Vriska, John, and Rose are hiding, and the cyclops charges after you.

You reload your crossbow as you run and aim over your shoulder. The arrow hits the monster's upper arm and he lets loose a loud, cave-shaking bellow. He drives you toward a dead-end wall, and as you approach it, you make a swift one-eighty turn and barrel straight toward the cyclops, effectively confounding him. You slide across the ground between his feet as you rapidly collapse your crossbow and shove it back in its holster. Vriska is sprinting at you and you prop yourself up on one knee, readying to boost her up into the air.

A breathy, adrenaline-fueled whoop escapes her mouth as she steps onto your hands and you launch her high up into the air. The cyclops turns around just in time to see Vriska's wicked double-edged sword plunge straight into his chest. He crumbles into golden sand and Vriska plummets to the ground, landing lithely on both feet, hair flying about her head dramatically. She's grinning down at you and offers you a hand. You allow yourself to take it and be pulled up by her.

You, Vriska, Jade, Dave, Rose, and John regroup at the mouth of the cave and walk out together. Dave is helping his limping half-sister with Jade and John standing on either side of the pair. You and Vriska walk side by side in front of them, and they're muttering and talking amongst each other just softly enough that you can't make out what they're saying.

Vriska is still beaming from the exhilaration of earlier; her tan skin remains flawless and unscathed per the norm. Even her clothes are surprisingly pristine, only small spots of dust here and there. Your jeans, on the other hand, are shredded and dirtied from sliding across the cave's rocky floor and something tells you your hair is a mess. You run your fingers through your locks, but Vriska is snapping at you to stop.

"Ampoooooooora. You're fine," she says simply. "If anything, you look slightly less like a grade A douchebag without your hair slicked back like a greaser." You chuckle lowly.

"Better watch yourself, Serket. That almost sounded like a compliment."

She only laughs breezily, loudly, and you can feel four pairs of eyes on the two of you as she shoves you not-so-lightly with her shoulder. You mutter something about bi-fucking-polar disorder under your breath, and if the black haired girl hears anything, she definitely doesn't acknowledge it.


	7. vi

You're Jade Harley and you're just as confused as anyone would be when you walk into an invisible wall. John backpedals back to your side. He grabs your hand and tries to pull you through the Camp's entrance, but as soon as your body is underneath the great stone archway, an invisible force keeps you from entering the Camp. John walks through just fine, though. It's late into the night and Rose, Dave, Vriska, and Eridan had all passed the archway without complications, as well. So why can't you?

The others all exchange confused glances, save for Rose. Dave calls it Rose's thinking face, and the petite blonde is wearing that face right now. Finally, she turns to Dave and speaks. "We need to talk to dad."

"Why the fuck would you need to talk to him?" Eridan snaps impatiently. He probably wants to sleep as much as the rest of you. "Apollo is busy looking for an Oracle, isn't he?"

"If you wish to return to Camp that much, go right on ahead," Rose tells him, not even turning around to face the boy. "Be sure to tell Chiron you abandoned us on the last leg of our quest while you're at it."

Eridan scowls. "Fuckin' Apollo kids," you hear him mutter loudly. Pursing your lips in disapproval is the least you can do to keep from snapping at the son of Aphrodite. You've learned that Eridan had a habit of being rude during that one day it took to sail back to Camp.

Dave and Rose are discussing between themselves, and you and John are still standing side by side outside of the Camp's entrance. Eridan and Vriska are standing awkwardly at a distance, and you can tell they are anxious to get a move on.

"Yo pretty boy, blue girl," Dave calls, waving them over.

"I have a name, you fucking land-dweller," Eridan snaps at Dave harshly as he and Vriska walk over. Dave doesn't acknowledge the boy's odd insult.

"We need you two to watch Jade and John for a bit while Rose and I go IM Apollo."

"Yeah, yeah," Vriska says dismissively, shooing them away. "Just try not to take foreeeeeeeever."

Dave shrugs, and he and Rose jog up the hill. They disappear over the crest and you and John are left staring at a platinum and purple haired boy with hipster-like glasses and a black haired girl with blue makeup through an invisible wall.

John and Vriska start talking about sword fighting tactics in no time at all. You can hear her promising to give your brother lessons, saying she'll help make him into a hero. You don't want to do nothing, so you decide to strike up a conversation with Eridan.

"So... I was wondering why you called Dave a land-dweller?" you ask the boy curiously. "I mean, we all live on land, yourself included."

He frowns. "It's nothing," he mutters. "Just a thing my brother and I used to say when I still lived on a boat with him."

"You used to live on a boat?" you ask. "John and I did too!"

Eridan's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You did? For how long?"

"For my whole life," you reply wistfully, mind drifting back to the familiar rock of the waves beneath you and the clear blue reflections in the sea during the afternoon. "How about you?"

"Pretty much my whole life, too. My brother and I lived together for 12 years until he joined the army. I live with an uncle now in New York, but I end up missing the sea so fuckin' much, I spend most of my time at Camp. There's canoeing in our lake, but the beach is a lot better."

You close your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips as you imagine deep blue waves crashing against white sand and sunsets of a hundred different colors sinking slowly into the ocean in a symphony of lights. "I can't wait to see it." You open your eyes to see two figures approaching from over the crest of the hill. Rose and Dave are running down toward you.

"John, Jade, Vriska, Eridan! Apollo said he would be here soon," they say as soon as they near you. You see John glance at his watch, blue eyes widening as he sees the time illuminate in the face.

"It's almost time for sunrise!" he exclaims. Rays of light start to peek out from beyond the horizon, and they slowly start to get brighter. Soon, everyone is forced to avert their eyes, Rose and Dave being the last to look away. You hear the sound of something heavy hitting the ground and you carefully open an eye. You're met with the sight of a man— no older than 25— with dirty blonde hair, golden eyes, and casual clothing leaning against the side of a bright red sports car.

"A— Apollo?" you hear John stutter incredulously from beside you. The man flashes a blinding grin.

"The one and only!"

He looks at each and every one of you, nodding a silent hello at Rose and Dave, before his eyes land on you.

"_You_ must be Jade Harley," he says, extending a hand for you to shake. Nervously, you take it; the god seems nonplussed by your anxiety and shakes it warmly. "Trouble getting into Camp?" he asks, to which you nod.

"Yeah, mortals tend to have such problems," he comments nonchalantly.

"She is not a demigod?" you hear Rose ask from behind you.

"Nope. 100% human, _but_," he says, looking back to you, "Not 100% normal, are you?"

You frown slightly as you think about what he could be alluding to. Was it— what did Dave call it?— the Mist? No, the Sight. That was it.

"Not just that," Apollo tells you quietly. You almost ask how he read your mind, but remember that he is, in fact, a god. "You're a smart girl; I'm sure you don't need to_ sleep_ on it to tell what I'm talking about."

You blink. Sleep? Is he referring to the dream John made earlier? No, that couldn't be it because he was talking about you. You shift uncomfortably on your feet as you feel the six pairs of eyes on you. Your mind races as you swallow anxiously.

You never told anyone about the other dreams you've been having recently— precognitive dreams about violent storms before they happened and faceless blond kids that reminded you of Rose and Dave. Even John and your grandparents didn't know about the crazy drawings you found buried beneath your sheets whenever you woke up, always surrounded by pencils and pens. You never failed in throwing those drawings away, not wanting to look at them.

Your voice is hoarse and scratchy when you finally decide to speak. "Is it the dreams?" you whisper just loudly enough for the sun god to hear. A part of you hopes desparately for the no that you know you won't get. Apollo puts a hand on your shoulder and bends down to your level. His eyes are a bright, warming gold.

"You, my dear, have the makings of an Oracle."


End file.
